Air Force Recruitment Soars to 15-Year High, Officials Say

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested the resurgence of interest in military service is fueled by a renewed emphasis on combat readiness and discipline.

A U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter jet lands on the tarmac during a military aviation exhibition at the Yelahanka Air Force Station in Bengaluru, India, on Feb. 13, 2025. Idrees Mohammed/AFP/Getty Images

U.S. Air Force recruitment has surged to its highest level in 15 years, top military officials say.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin announced on March 3 that recruiting numbers over the past three months—December through February—were the strongest in a decade and a half.

Calling the numbers “amazing,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested that the increase reflects a broader resurgence of interest in military service, fueled by a renewed emphasis on combat readiness and discipline.

“Americans are excited to serve their Country again! The next generation of the American warfighter will be joining the greatest fighting force the world has ever known!” Hegseth wrote in a post on X.

Allvin did not disclose exact figures but stated that all recruiting metrics “look great,” even as the Air Force increased its recruitment goal by 20 percent for fiscal year 2025.

An Air Force public affairs staffer contacted by phone declined to provide more details.

Allvin confirmed that approximately 13,000 recruits are currently in the Delayed Entry Program (DEP)—a system allowing enlistees to postpone their ship date to boot camp while completing school, handling personal matters, or preparing for military training.

The surge in enlistments follows a disappointing fiscal year 2023, when the Air Force missed its recruiting goal for the first time since 1999. In response, the service adjusted certain enlistment standards, including relaxed policies on tattoos and body fat composition.

By the end of fiscal year 2024, the Air Force recruited 27,139 active-duty enlisted personnel and saw a major increase in DEP enrollment—from 8,000 in 2023 to 11,000 in 2024. For 2025, the Air Force is aiming to bring in 33,100 active-duty personnel.

The Air Force’s recruitment surge comes on the heels of similar progress in the U.S. Army, which also reported its strongest enlistment numbers in 15 years.

President Donald Trump has suggested that renewed enthusiasm for military service reflects a broader national shift.

“We’ve done lots of interviews and asked why this is happening now, and they just said there’s a spirit about our country that they haven’t seen in many, many years. And I happen to agree with that,” Trump told a crowd at the White House on Feb. 5.

He also credited his administration’s efforts to eliminate “woke lunacy” from the military, pointing to a Jan. 27 executive order that revoked gender identity policies in favor of prioritizing “readiness and effectiveness.”

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin gives a keynote address at the Air and Space Forces Association Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Colo., on March 3, 2025. Courtesy of U.S. Air Force/photo by Staff Sgt. Adam R. Shanks

Speaking at the Air & Space Forces Association (AFA) Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Colorado, on March 3, Allvin made the case for increased investment in the Air Force, aligning with the Trump administration’s objectives of rebuilding the U.S. military and restoring deterrence.

“America needs more Air Force,” Allvin said. But “more Air Force doesn’t just mean more of the same.”

Allvin highlighted two major challenges: pilots not getting enough flight time and the service being overburdened by excess infrastructure. Since the end of the Cold War, the Air Force has cut 60 percent of its squadrons and 40 percent of its personnel—yet only reduced 15 percent of its bases.

To address this, Allvin proposed closing unnecessary bases and redirecting those resources into modernizing aircraft and weapons. This includes investing in advanced autonomous drones designed to fly alongside piloted jets.

“I think we need more options for the President. And that’s what more Air Force provides,” Allvin said. “It means everything from rapid response all the way to decisive victory.”

He said that national security depends on expanding and reshaping the Air Force to counter emerging threats.

“We have to sustain and maintain the ability to go anytime, anywhere, into the densest threat environment and put ‘warheads on foreheads’ wherever the President requires,” he concluded.